In wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) optical communication systems, a number of different optical carrier wavelengths are separately modulated with data to produce modulated optical signals. The modulated optical signals are combined into an aggregate signal and transmitted over an optical transmission path to a receiver. The receiver detects and demodulates the data.
One type of modulation that may be used in optical communication systems is phase-shift keying (PSK). According to different variations of PSK, data is transmitted by modulating the phase of an optical wavelength such that the phase or phase transition of the optical wavelength forms a symbol representing one or more bits. Amplitude-shift keying (ASK) is another type of modulation format wherein data is transmitted by modulating the amplitude of an optical signal such that the amplitude or amplitude transition of the signal forms a symbol representing one or more bits.
Amplitude-shift keying and phase-shift keying may be combined to provide an amplitude and phase-shift keying (APSK) format. In an APSK signal, information is modulated using a combination of phase-shift keying and amplitude-shift keying, for example, to encode multiple bits per symbol. For any given M-APSK where M=2m, each symbol represents m bits. For example, a 16-APSK modulation format may be used to encode 4 bits per symbol and 64-APSK may be used to encode 6 bits per symbol.
One type of APSK format is a quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) format with a square signal constellation. A signal constellation is a predetermined plan or map indicating how information bits correspond to associated symbols modulated on an optical signal. The constellation is typically represented as a two-dimensional scatter diagram in the complex plan. The real and imaginary axes of the complex plane often called the in-phase, or I-axis, and the quadrature, or Q-axis, respectively. For a particular modulation format, the constellation identifies the exact information bits that correspond to each symbol (having real and imaginary values) modulated on an optical wavelength.
A square signal constellation is a constellation wherein the two-dimensional scatter diagram in the complex plane has a square shape. Although a QAM format may be broadly viewed as a format wherein data is represented using PSK with or without ASK, QAM formats using both PSK and ASK and having a square constellation are common. For example, a conventional 16-QAM modulation format having a square constellation uses phase shift keying and amplitude shift keying to represent four bits per symbol.
Coded modulation has been used with square constellation QAM schemes to compensate for signal degradation contributed by different sources when an optical signal is transmitted over long distances. Coded modulation involves use of a forward error correction (FEC) code. FEC is essentially the incorporation of a suitable code into a data stream at the transmitter. The transmitter receives a data stream and encodes the data stream using an FEC encoder that introduces some redundancy in the binary information sequence of the data stream. The receiver receives the encoded data and runs it through an FEC decoder to detect and correct errors.
Coded modulation QAM schemes with square constellations have also been used in flexi-rate transponder technology wherein multiple data rates may be achieved over the same bandwidth (or symbol rate) using different spectral efficiency (bits/sec/Hz). Examples of coded modulation QAM schemes having square constellations useful in providing variable spectral efficiency (SE) are described in U.S. Pat. No. 9,337,935, the teachings of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference.